Toying Around
by Moonlight Kitten Warrior
Summary: One day while watching her favorite anime, Naruto, a thirteen year old girl named Crystal finds herself sucked into her computer into the anime world three years before the original timeline. How will this scrawny teen cope inside a world with crazy ninjas everywhere when all she wants is to find her way home to her family?
1. Prologue

Prologue

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***Please note that I do not own Naruto in any way or form. The only people I own in this story are the OC's used.**

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It was a glorious morning. The sun shone radiantly throughout the clear azure sky and no clouds could possibly obscure the bright sun in all its shining beauty. Not that I would know, as I was stuck in the darkness of my room, where the only light in the room being that which emanated from my tiny laptop screen. Suddenly, the wooden door to my room was flung open and I groaned. _'Crud! I'm caught!'_

"Crystal! What do you think you're doing? Did you get any sleep last night, young lady, or did you stay up and watch cartoons all night right after I told you not to?" My mom scolded harshly, stomping over to a pair of matching blue curtain and throwing them open before adding, "It's too dark in here! You need light!" This caused the darkness of the room to be vanquished by the onslaught of the streaming light. The abruptness of the brightness caused me to hiss and attempt to hide under the covers, along with my laptop, to get away from the burning light.

"Oh no you don't, you little rascal!" she said, yanking the covers off my head and closing the laptop, right when Naruto was about to punch Sasuke in the face., I began towhine, much to my Mom's chagrin.

"But Moooooom! I was at the best part! Close the curtains, please!" I whined pitifully in an attempt to get her to comply with my humble request. Sadly, my request was in vain as she merely let out an unladylike snort. I was missing Naruto pounding the crap out of Sasuke!

"All parts of that ridiculous cartoon are the 'best' parts to you. You do this every single time I ask you to go outside for once_,"_ she rolled her eyes at me before letting out a sigh. "Anyways, I was just going to say that it's time for breakfast, dear. You need to eat- you're as scrawny as a twig!"

I inwardly sighed at the last point she had_, _as it was completely true. I was really scrawny and quite small for my age. In fact, I'm so tiny my older brother jokingly calls me 'the midget'.

"Naruto is not silly, Mom! It's a masterful piece of art!" I protested in defense of my precious anime. Honestly, just because she wasn't an anime fan didn't mean that it was dumb or weird! Plus, how could she NOT see the gloriousness that was Naruto?! Was she blind?

At these words, the woman merely snorted again, rolling her forest green eyes to the ceiling and said, "Whatever. Just come to the dinner table, ok, dear? We're having waffles for breakfast; your favorite!" My jade green eyes brightened at these words. Waffles were my favorite food in the entire universe! Suddenly, I remembered something. We only had waffles on special occasions… so why would we be eating them now?

Before I could question my mother as to what the special occasion was, she quickly hurried out of the door, causing me to raise an eyebrow in confusion before shrugging. Eh, I was probably looking too much into these things. I might as well just go downstairs and enjoy the waffles.

I sprinted down the old, wooden stairs of the house and power walked through a small hallway and finally turned to the right, arriving at my desired destination: the kitchen. Once there, I could see my mother smiling kindly at my father, who was reading the newspaper at the large, snow white table while my older brother was gorging himself in a syrupy stack of waffles on his plate. However, once he saw me, he immediately stopped eating and let out a tiny grin.

"Hey, squirt! Good morning!" my brother greeted cheerfully, before eyeing what I assumed to be my plate of waffles it.

'Squirt' was an affectionate nickname my brother had given me when we were toddlers, due to my small size. In return, I called him 'Robby' as I was unable to say his full name, which was Robert. It was, in my opinion, a much better nickname than 'midget', which he usually called me just so he could annoy me. Why he wasn't doing it today was a mystery, but I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth!

"Heya, Robby! Good morning to you too!" I greeted my brother with equal enthusiasm, grinning widely before skipping over to my comfortable seat positioned between my father and brother, and then plopping into it. Once I did, my father gave me an affectionate pat on the head, causing me to nuzzle his hand in a feline like manner. This action evicted a smirk from my brother, which in turn made me glare at him threateningly. So what if I love my Father? That doesn't make me any less mature than anyone else! Plus, he's usually at work by now and we don't see him until dinner time, so sue me for being affectionate!

"Robert, stop antagonizing your sister!" my mother scolded, causing me to smirk back at him. "And Crystal, wipe that evil smirk off your face before I slap it off!" I immediately dropped the smirk and instead settled for a frightened expression. My mother never made any idle threats- she always went through with them, no matter how gruesome. I loved her, but honestly, she frightened me at times!

I quietly grabbed my silver fork in my hand, and began to eat some warily began to eat some waffles_,_ making sure to smother it in syrup. "So, what are the waffles for, guys?" I finally asked after several moments of awkward silence. It was almost as if they were expecting me to do something…

"You don't remember?" my brother asked incredously, causing me to shake my head sheepishly and reply, "Sorry, bro, but I don't. Would you please tell me why?"

My response evicted a variety of actions from my family ranging from a staring to jaw drops. This caused me to begin to feel a bubble of annoyance in the pit of my stomach. What could be so important to make them react this way to me simply not remembering today's event? And why wouldn't they just come out and tell me already? Was it a secret holiday of some sort that I just didn't know about?

"Why, dear, it's your birthday!" Mom explained, causing me to slap myself mentally. Of course! Waffles, my father being here when he normally is at work, Robby calling me 'squirt' instead of 'midget', and mom not grounding me when she found out that I stayed up all night to watch Naruto; it all made sense!

"Oh!" I exclaimed in embarrassment, beginning to flush tomato red. "Sorry about that." My brother chuckled jollily at my embarrassment, making me pout.

"It's ok, dear," Mom stated, smiling kindly at me in an attempt to alleviate my embarrassment. I smiled slightly at this. Mom may seem a bit strict and mean at times, but in all honesty she was a kind person at heart. You just have to dig deep to find it. I was abruptly interrupted from my musings when my brother shoved a small emerald green package at my face that was tied with a beautiful red bow. I looked up at him in surprise to see him grinning at me sweetly, his eyes soft. My jade green eyes watered at the sight before I carefully set the beautiful present on the snow- white table and enveloped him in a hard embrace, causing the comfortable wooden chairs to fall over. I muttered a soft, "Thank you." It was... so kind of them all to get me a present. I was touched. They honestly didn't need to... I mean, I even forgot my own birthday! I'm just surprised they even remembered something I didn't!

"No problem, squirt!" he said kindly before grinning widely, gently hugging me back before adding, "That present is from me and Dad while the waffles are from Mom. Come on, open it! I think you'll really like what you find."

I nodded eagerly at this suggestion, reluctantly pulling away from the hug before turning a hungry gaze to the pretty emerald green present which lay innocently on the table, completely unaware of the mix of emotions it had evoked from within me. I pounced on the present and furiously tore open the emerald green package along with the little crimson red bow in which revealed a large set of Naruto DVD's, all of them limited edition along with a book of patterns and sewing materials, causing my eyes to mist over with tears of happiness. You see, I'm somewhat of a seamstress. I enjoy sewing clothes, toys, blankets, anything you can possibly imagine! ... However, I must admit that my skills are quite mediocre, despite all the effort and time I put into each subject. I suppose I got that trait from my great grandmother, who lives out in the countryside and sews clothes for a living.

Carefully setting each present down on the table, I plastered a genuine smile of gratitude on my face and prepared to make a long speech about how thankful I was, but was interjected by Dad who merely smiled gently and said, "There is no need to thank us, Crystal. We love you dearly, sweetheart, and got those especially for you. Now, go watch those DVDs_."_

I nearly burst out into tears after he finished speaking, so overwhelmed with emotion I was that I merely nodded, not trusting my own voice. I quickly grabbed the DVD's, book of patterns, and the sewing materials in my scrawny and whispered before dashing off to the darkness of my room, "I love you guys."

After several moments of running through the hallways and trudging up the wooden staircase, I finally reached my room. I grinned widely as I thought of watching the limited edition Naruto DVD set. I just knew it was going to be awesome.

...I had never been more wrong in my entire life.


	2. Chapter 1: The Worst Birthday Ever

Chapter 1: The Worst Birthday Ever

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***Please note that I do not own Naruto in any way or form. The only thing I own are the OC's used in this story.**

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I placed the first of the DVDs into my laptop and waited for it to read the disk. I waited excitedly for it to load. Suddenly the machine began to vibrate furiously and I jumped away in fright. 'What the… Why is it doing that? Is it demonic?' I thought to myself. After several seconds of staring wide eyed at the laptop, the vibrating abruptly stopped. I hesitantly stepped forward towards the demon machine and picked it up, inspecting it closely. Nothing looked wrong, but I couldn't help thinking that it might suddenly come to life and transform into a dancing robot chicken.

When nothing happened I released a relieved sigh, 'Thank goodness. Maybe it was some sort of update or something like that'. Shrugging I placed the laptop back on my bed. That was when I saw the screen, making me balk in disbelief. For there, in fancy bright orange colored writing, was a message that clearly stated:

"Welcome to our world, Crystal"

My eyes were wide and I blinked in confusion. I closed my eyes tightly and opened them again, and sure enough the writing was still there. I was not hallucinating.

Before I could act upon my fear, I suddenly began to feel a tugging sensation on my bright orange and midnight black pajamas. My jade green eyes widened in horror as I realized that I was being pulled toward my tiny (demonic!) computer. Panicking, I quickly attempted to grab my blue bed, but the attempt was in vain, for when I grasped a wooden leg of the bed, it was merely dragged along with me as well due to the pure force of the tugging. I screamed in pure, unadalterated horror before I entered a world of complete darkness, unable to think any more.

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Darkness. Pain. Confusion.

All of these things were the sights I saw and emotions I felt after awakening what I pe to be hours later. I quickly snapped open my eyes, groaning as I sat up to examine my surroundings. It appeared I was in a clearing surrounded by shrubbery and several tall trees, causing my eyes to twitch slightly in disbelief and irritation. So I was in a forest, eh? How the heck did I get here? And— ARE THOSE ANTS CRAWLING ON ME!

I screamed loudly as I saw an erect line of tiny fiery red dots, waving my arms in a manner similar to that of a crazy person in order to get the evil insects of my arms. Unfortunately I have an unhealthy fear of bugs ever since my brother 'accidently' filled my baby pool from when I was younger with insects... Naturally, I was traumatized.

Several moments of shrieking and trying to get the bugs off later, I was finally able to calm down and think rationally. (Well, as rationally as a thirteen year old girl stuck alone in the deep, dark woods can think) In fact, my thought process was going something like this: OHMYGOSHI'MINTHEMIDDLEOFNOWHEREHOWTHEH ECKDIDIGETHERE?!

Shaking furiously and attempting to take deep, calming breathes of air like my grandmother told me to do whenever I was freaking out, I finally was successful in producing coherent thoughts. It was time to focus on the present, not the past. I shouldn't be thinking of how I got here, but how to survive and get home. I was unsuccessful in thinking of any survival plans, so instead I decided to calculate my rate of survival instead. Ok, so the last thing I remember is being sucked into my (demonic!) little computer and blacking out. My supplies are nonexistent, I have no idea where I am, and have little to no knowledge about wilderness survival.

My calculated answer? …I'm so screwed.

Burying my face in my hands in despair, I curled up in a ball and tried my hardest not to cry. I was hungry, home-sick, and lost in a freaking forest in the middle of nowhere. What could I do now?

After several hours of being in that position and feeling nothing but hopelessness throughout my body passed, a thought suddenly entered my head. The idea was so ludicrous, so far- fetched, but yet so possible that I nearly burst out in hysterical laughter. What if, by some freak chance, when I was sucked into my computer, I somehow arrived in the Naruto world? After all, that was the disk that was in and being uploaded at the time when I was sucked into my computer. That would also explain what the (demonic) computer meant by 'Welcome to our world, Crystal'! as well as all the greenery around me, if I was near the village of Konohagakure.

But… that couldn't be true. Things like that only happened in bad Naruto fanfictions where the main character became friends with everyone and saved the world or something equally ridiculous as that.

I let out a small sigh of frustration, standing up, my eyes lighting up in determination. If I was going to die alone in this forest of starvation or something similar to that, I would go down fighting to my last breath. I bravely walked forward through the long row of trees, not once turning back.

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What I perceived to be several hours of blindly treading throughout the lush sea of trees, I finally was able to recognize some of the scenery. Not from actually being there, as one might hypothesize, but from watching it several times throughout a certain anime that I love dearly, namely Naruto. My breath hitched as I examined the dirt- trodden ground, spotting several kunai and shruikens scattered across the dirt carelessely, as if someone was in a hurry. A pool of tears began to well up in my eyes before I stubbornly wiped them away with the palm of my hand. There was no way I'd cry!

However, one thing those weapons confirmed was that I was indeed stuck in another world.

Thoughts began to race throughout my head, causing my heart to fill with despair as for the third time that day my eyes began to water. What about my family? My friends? School? I didn't want to leave them behind! Sure, I loved the anime Naruto, but I loved those things much, much more! Plus, Naruto wasn't supposed to be real, it was just an anime! A 'ridiculous cartoon' in my mother's own words!

... This was slowly but surely becoming the worst birthday ever.


	3. Chapter 2: A 'Grand' Welcoming

Chapter 2: A 'Grand' Welcoming

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***Please note, I do not own Naruto in any way or form. The only people I own are the OC's used in this story.**

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That particular thought sullied my mood beyond repair as I heaved out a loud sigh, idly grabbing a random kunai of the ground and glared at it, as if it were the cause of my problems. I suddenly felt a wave of fury overcome me, causing me to chuck the kunai across the clearing in a sloppy fashion. A feeling of dread washed over me as I noticed the forest floor beginning to darken considerably as the kunai bounced multiple times on the hard ground.

Looking up toward the trees' leafy emerald green canopies, I noticed the sky beginning to transform into various hues of oranges. My body shivered as I felt the radical drop in temperature. All of these factors combined were telling me that night was descending upon me. I closed my jade green eyes and took a deep, calming breath yet again to clear my mind of any emotion, before opening them again seconds later, rationalizing with myself.

It appeared I wouldn't be reaching the village tonight, as it was not only foolish, but downright dangerous to blindly walk through a forest at night without any source of light.

Now, as for sleeping arrangements, it appeared I would have to settle with sleeping on the ground tonight. I cringed at the memory of the fire ants that crawled up my arm earlier today, mentally discarding the idea of lying on the ground. If only after a few seconds of being on the ground caused my arm to be covered in insects, how many more would crawl on me during the hours I was asleep?!

No, sleeping on the ground would just not do. Suddenly, an (ingenious!) idea popped into my head, causing me to grin maniacally. In several movies and books I had vaguely remembered reading about the main character sleeping in the branches of trees during the night. Perhaps I could try it out as well?

However, a sudden question stopped me from moving for a moment, causing me to frown: How the heck was I going to climb a tree? It's not like I knew how to climb one or anything, despite seeing my brother did it all the time when they were younger.

My resolve hardened as I thought of the consequences of attempting to climb a tree and accidently taking a misstep, plunging down toward the hard dirt ground and breaking my leg, or worse- my neck. A small part of me also grudgingly admitted that my small and weak frame would most likely make me unable to climb a tree even if I wanted to.

The last thing I needed to cover would be food and water. Sadly, I had no idea what type of berries and stuff were edible and which were poisonous, so it appears I would have to hold off on the food until I'm safe in Konohagakure. And water? I had no clue as to where a source of one was, and I heard that forest water is filled with deadly bacteria, so that was out as well.

Letting out a small, miserable sigh I decided I would sleep on the ground at the risk of being swarmed by bugs, much to my dismay. I flopped onto the ground after walking toward a random but quite large tree and closed my eyes tightly, willing myself to sleep for the night while trying not to think of the dangers of sleeping out in the middle of the forest in the Naruto world... (Like being kidnapped by some sort of crazy rogue ninja or something! Hey, it's possible!)

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I arose several hours later, moaning in protest as I wearily sat up and rubbed my eyes with the palm of my hand to wake myself up. Suddenly, my eyes snapped open quickly as I felt something crawling down my leg. Looking there, I nearly fainted from fright as there was a huge brown as an oak tree cockroach crawling on it, causing me to shriek in a banshee like manner. HOLY CRAP! I thought to myself in horror as I rolled across the ground to get the… the THING off me. Ten minutes passed until I was finally able to calm down and sit warily on the ground, mentally cringing as I thought of the evil bug.

The sun shone brightly throughout the cerulean blue sky, casting rays of light through the thick canopy of trees, lighting up the forest floor considerably and warming the air around me, making me sleepier. I did some minor stretches for a few minutes, ignoring my back that ached from sleeping on the hard ground, before standing up, a determined glint in my jade green eyes.

Today was the day I would go to the village of Konohagakure. I smiled slightly at the thought of possibly meeting some of the anime characters, but felt a deep pit of sadness and self- pity well up in the pit of my stomach at the thought of never seeing my friends or family again. Yet again, a small pool of tears began to well up inside my eyes, causing me to choke out a sob.

I stubbornly attempted to wipe the tears away as I didn't like to feel so weak and sad, but for every time I wiped them away with my hand, they were replaced by a fresh batch of salty tears as my mind slowly replayed the faces of my family over and over again, as if it were a broken record.

This time, I let them fall.

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I continued to weep for the loss of my original life for several hours, or at least what I perceived to be as by the time I stopped, the sun was high in the sky. I smiled slightly as I glanced around myself, trying to think of something positive. When I found one, I grinned; at least it wasn't raining or anything!

Half expecting the sky to suddenly begin to pour buckets of rainfall on my head, I bravely marched onward to the direction of the lush forest I thought Konohagakure laid.

After marching onwards like a soldier for several long moments, I heard the sweet, sweet sound of children's laughter and nearly burst into tears of joy, for children meant civilization! And civilization in a forest meant Konohagakure! And Konohagakure meant… Well, actually I had no idea what Konohagakure meant but was too happy at the moment to bring myself to even care.

Grinning widely, I dashed in the direction of the forest I heard the laughter in, nearly stumbling multiple times on the way on various things, ranging from a branch to shallow holes scattered across the ground.

The sight that met me caused my blood to boil with fury, my eyes narrowing dangerously. For there, in the clearing surrounded by trees were a group of young boys throwing a mixture of rocks and sticks at a small girl with snow white eyes and short, dark blue hair.

"Freak!" one of the boys sneered, causing the other children to join in the name calling, laughing meanly all the while.

"Weirdo!"

"Creepy Eyes!"

"Ugly!"

At each insult, the girl cringed and sobbed from the pain of both the venomous words and from the objects being thrown at her, whimpering. "Please, stop it! It hurts really bad!"

At that minute, something inside me snapped. My vision hazed into blood red, and what happened next is little more than a blur. I barely noticed grabbing a large stick and wielding it in my hand like a weapon, somehow attacking the boys with it, causing them to run away. This left me with the scared girl, her snow white eyes wide with terror.

"Hey... it's ok. The mean boys are gone," I said softly, my jade green eyes kind as my rage melted away and my vision returned.

The girl shrieked in fear, running away from me as fast as lightning, causing me to frown. What? Did I do something wrong?

Suddenly, I felt someone- or something- tap my back before I whirled around, staring at the figure before me I now understand why the younger girl ran away. My face paled slightly in recognition, for standing before me was an shinobi wearing a wolf mask- ANBU, if I recall correctly.

"You will come with me," the shinobi said in a deep, masculine voice, causing me to shiver in fear.

... Well... Crap.


	4. Chapter 3: Do or Die

Chapter 3: Do or Die

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***Please note that I do not own Naruto in any way or form and merely own the OC's used in this story.**

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"Um... O- ok, Mr- I m- mean, Wolf- san," I stuttered in agreement toward the tall, muscular shinobi. Hey, don't take me for a coward! He was terrifying, ok? I mean, he was practically RADIATING killing intent, and who the heck would be dumb enough to challenge someone who can kill you with the flick of a wrist?

The Anbu nodded curtly, seemingly satisfied by my easy agreement, his shoulders relaxing slightly. This action caused me to release a deep breath I hadn't known that I was holding. Suddenly, the man, at least I assumed the shinobi was a male due to his posture and clothes- yanked my wrist roughly, and began forming a bunch of strange handsigns, that I was unable to recognize, in a quick succession. The next thing I knew, he ran at the speed of a cheetah, dragging me behind him. Unable to keep up with his speed, I let out a loud gasp and then yelled, "WHAT IN THE WORLD?! YOU'RE CRAZY! PLEASE- SLOW DOWN!"

The man either ignored me or genuinely didn't hear what I had said (which I doubted, as ninjas trained their senses to be acute as possible) as he continued to dash like a lunatic at the speed of a roadrunner. I inwardly cringed at the pain I felt as I tried to keep up with his speed, failing miserably all the while, as he jumped high into the air like a jack rabbit over the concrete defense system and into the beautiful village of Konohagakure.

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After what felt like several years passed (but was most likely only a couple of minutes), Wolf- san finally stopped in front of a large emerald green building, much to my relief.

"Thank you," I panted, sweating profusely from all the running, small drops of ruby red blood running down my leg from the times I was unable to keep up with him. I winced slightly at the piercing pain on my leg, but managed to keep a neutral expression plastered on my face. I'm not some weak little damsel in distress; I can take care of myself!

"No problem," the man grunted, "Now come. The Hokage awaits."

I paled at this sentence, but before I could even protest, the ANBU member turned his back to me and walked inside the building, fully expecting me to follow as he knew there was no way I could possibly escape from him. I huffed indignantly before reluctantly following the cocky jerk inside the building.

When I entered the building through the tapestry doorway, the first thing I saw was a long dark green hallway with several rooms surrounding it, if the many wooden doors I saw throughout it were any indication. I glanced at the end of the hallway straight ahead and saw staircase of some sort, most likely leading to the Hokage. At this thought, I began to break out in a cold sweat. This was it. There were several ways this could play out, good and bad. The worst case scenario in this would be death or torture. Best case scenario? He allows me into Konoha with little to no suspicion. Fat chance of that happening though. After all, I'm a random stranger, with absolutely no records at all, that attacked a bunch of civilian children.

I was promptly brought out of my musings from a sharp elbow jab from Wolf- san. "Pay attention," the man commanded as I coughed, "We're almost there. Now we just need to walk up the stairs."

"Yes, sir," I said in a quiet, polite voice, walking up the wooden staircase to the Hokage's chamber behind the ANBU.

Silence reigned for dozens upon dozens of minutes as we both continued to walk up the stairs, with me attempting to mentally prepare myself for the most important meeting in my entire life that would determine my fate. Now was the time to do... or die.

* * *

After reaching the the top of the stairs, Wolf- san straightened up considerably and walked toward the tall guards positioned in front of a metal door. "ANBU Wolf reporting in. A strange girl attacked some civilian children near Konohagakure's wall. Allow me to pass," my guide explained in a cold voice. Man, cocky, much?

One of the guards nodded silently in confirmation, while the other slowly opened the door, a soft creaking noise could be heard. Wolf- san pushed me inside the doorway roughly, making me glare at him angrily. He ignored me. What a jerk!

I scanned the room with wide, jade green eyes, my inner fangirl beginning to rise up inside of me. I was inside the room of the Hokage of my favorite anime, Naruto! The room itself was nothing special, however, with dark brown cabinets upon cabinets of paperwork, a spacious area, a small oriental rug, and a small wooden desk where none other than the Hokage himself sat proudly.

"Ah, Wolf, how nice to see you. Who is that you have brought with you? A guest, perhaps?" an old man, who I immediately recognized as Sarutobi Hiruzen, said in a soft but gruff tone of voice. I breathed out a small sigh of relief as I noted this, as I knew that Tsunade or even Kakashi if they were Hokage instead would be much less accepting of allowing me in the village. Also, the guy sounded exactly like he did in the anime...!

"I saw this young girl attack some civilian children near Konohagakure's wall, Hokage- sama," Wolf- san explained, causing the Hokage's normally kind eyes to grow as cold as ice.

"Ah, I see," he said, fixing me with a frosty glare, causing me to shiver slightly in fear. Crap, had I just invoked the wrath of the God of Shinobi on me? I had to act fast if I wanted to save my skin.

"I... I apologize, Mr- er... Hokage- sama, but those children were ganging up on a little girl... I couldn't just stand by and watch her get hurt," I ventured bravely, staring at the Hokage in the eyes throughout my explanation. The frostiness disappeared immediately as I finished my sentence, his eyes growing soft. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding. Crisis averted.

"Oh, so that's how it is. I thank you for protecting one of my citizens, Miss...?" Sarutobi praised.

"Tomoko," I blurted out the first Japanese name that came to my head. I certainly couldn't use my own English name, Crystal, now could I? After all, he would probably think I was a foreigner of some sort with my... unique name.

"So, Tomoko- san, what brings you to my humble village?" the God of Shinobi asked kindly, his eyes twinkling with curiosity.

"Well, Hokage- sama, you see...," I began hesitantly, quickly thinking of a lie. I suddenly remembered something I had read once. The best lies are half truths. I decided to use this to my advantage. "I come from a village far away from here. However, I was exiled for some reason that I do not know. So for many days and nights I searched for a place I could call home. I remembered hearing something my mother once said about a village in the forest, so I looked for it," I said triumphantly, grinning widely, mentally patting myself on the back for thinking up such a good lie.

"Alright," the Hokage said, smiling, before asking, "Why isn't your family with you, Tomoko- san?"

"...They died," I choked out, my eyes beginning to mist over, using the (very real) pain of never seeing my family or friends again to my advantage.

"I... I'm sorry," Sarutobi said gently, glancing at me with sympathy. I inwardly grinned at my acting skills. Hook, line, and sinker!

"I- It's ok," I sniffled slightly, casting my eyes to the wooden ground beneath my bare feet.

"So, Tomoko-san, would you like to be a ninja of Konohagakure?" the Hokage asked kindly, a small smile playing on his lips. His question made me shiver furiously, my face paling several shades that were unhealthier than what's normal.

No. There was absolutely positively NO way I was going to be a ninja. Ninja's were considered 'emotionless tools' to their village and had to prioritize their home above all else- including your family and friends. There was also the fact that I had relatively little to no athletic skills. Besides, the mere thought of killing any living thing made me queasy. Hey, I'm a pacifist, alright? So, going by all of these various factors, I have to say that I would ultimately FAIL as a ninja.

"Um… I'm really sorry, Mr.… erm… Hokage- Sama… but I must decline. Thank you though! It's just… I would prefer to be a permanent resident of Konohagakure… a civilian," I stated, slightly stumbling over my words at the fact that I was in the presence of a freaking ANIME character. I know so much about him including his own tragic fate… and seeing him up close… I could see why he was Hokage. He had the aura of a proud and powerful tiger, despite his kind and gentle demeanor.

"Oh, really now? That's interesting, Tomoko- san. The majority of children these days wish to be ninja," Sarutobi replied kindly, a suspicious gleam in his eyes as he carefully worded his sentence. Inwardly I gulped at the sudden attention. Crap, I must have caught his eye due to my strange choice. I hurriedly decided to explain my reasoning to the Hokage so I didn't get that unwanted extra attention and satisfy his curiosity

"Well… it's just that being a ninja is an occupation that requires you to put all your heart and soul into it, and once you become one you can't back out, and you have to prioritize your village above all else. Plus you're required to squash your heart along with your emotions for it, and sometimes even kill."

The old man nodded politely as I finished my explanation, a small frown on his face before he let out a weary sigh. "I see. You're surprisingly mature for one so young. You see the ninja occupation for what it is, not the false grandeur of glory or power," he said in a soft, regretful voice.

Unfortunately, I could see why he was so bummed out. After all, I was a thirteen year old girl who was talking about something a normal girl shouldn't be able to understand. I don't like seeing people sad or pitying me, especially a person I had admired from afar as long as I have with him (anime or not), so I decided to attempt to alleviate his sadness by grinning widely.

"However, it would be super cool to have awesome ninja powers and skills! I mean, honestly, who WOULDN'T want to be able to spew out fifty foot fireballs? Do you have any idea how freaking cool that is?" I said eagerly, my forest green eyes beginning to shine. I admit that half of that eagerness wasn't feigned at all- in fact, I was being completely honest when I said that.

The man let out a slight chuckle at my childishness, no doubt relieved that I still had a hint of childishness remaining inside my heart. The Hokage's face suddenly turned serious. "Now, Tomoko- san, you are thirteen years old, correct?"

I nodded in response to his question, raising an eyebrow in question. Where was he going with this?

"Well, Tomoko- chan, you're a teenager, so you're old enough to live on your own. Shall I arrange a small apartment room for you? You can pay it off eventually by doing it in bits and pieces," Sarutobi said kindly, smiling. This caused the young girl's jaw to drop in surprise, her eyes widening before she recovered her composure. Was he serious? That was… so nice! She changed her mind, Sarutobi was her new favorite anime character ever!

"Yes please, if that's alright with you, Hokage- Sama. Thank you so much," Tomoko replied politely, grinning happily at the thought of her own apartment room. The old man nodded to Tomoko before signalling for one of the shinobi to lead the day- dreaming girl out the wooden door, leaving the Hokage alone with the Wolf ANBU.

"Sir, are you sure we can trust her?" the nameless shinobi asked once the strange girl was out of range to somehow overhear their conversation.

"… No. That's why I have ordered of bugs and surveillance cameras to cover the small apartment so we can observe her moves. If she IS a spy, she will not stand a chance against us. Her chakra reserves are pitiful and she looked physically weak," the Hokage explained seriously, his demeanor changing completely. The shinobi nodded in relief at his leader's words, his fears disappearing instantly.


	5. Chapter 4: Beginning of the End

This has to be some kind of sick joke was the first thought I had when my ninja guide led me to my 'new' (well, new to me, at least) apartment. It was filthy, with blots of decay and mold scattered around across the wooden roof of it, had the aroma that of a one month old garbage, and looked like it could fall apart at any moment. To top it all off? It was in the bad side of town. You know the one with all the shady buildings, criminals, and prostitutes? Yeah, that bad side.

"You've GOT to be kidding me," I deadpanned, glancing at my guide, who was quite muscular and was wearing a mask with an eerie resemblance to a lizard. Hopefully, he would be nicer than Wolf- san, the cocky jerk.

The shinobi merely let out a chuckle and patted me on the head sympathetically. "Sorry, Miss, but I'm afraid not."

"Figures," I muttered glumly. I really shouldn't have been so disappointed; after all, I was merely an unimportant teenage orphan who came from another world. What did I expect, a five star hotel? Oh well, it appeared I just had to make do with what I had. Again.

"Thank you for escorting me, Lizard- san," I said politely, inwardly cringing at the thought of living in what SHOULD be a condemned building.

"No problem, Miss!" the ANBU replied kindly. This made me smile slightly. At least one person was being nice to me.

Suddenly, the man straightened as erectly as a proud oak tree, like he just remembered something. Sliding a hand down in the raven black pocket of his leather jeans, he grabbed something before handing it out to me. As it turned out, the thing was a silver key which I assumed was the key to the apartment.

"Thanks," I sighed, reaching my hand out to grab the key, but failed in my task because Lizard- san dangled it about a foot over my head, making me growl angrily. How dare he poke fun of my height! I knew I was short, but come on!

"Miss, I just want to warn you to be careful, alright?" the man said seriously, his tone of voice completely different from the lighthearted man I had mentally labeled him as, "A demon lives right across from you."

At this ridiculous sentence, I let out a loud bout of laughter for the first time since I arrived in the Naruto world. A demon? Please! Honestly, who the heck would truly believe in that piece of crap?

"Heh, a demon? Thanks for your concern, Lizard- san, but I think I'll be just fine," I managed to get out between guffaws, jumping up as high as I could in order to grab the key from his hand. I think the man was so surprised from my reaction to his warning that he merely stood frozen in place for a few seconds, enabling me to successfully get the key from his iron hard grasp.

"Bye, Lizard-san! I hope we'll get to see each other again soon!" I said happily, smiling brightly as I began bounding up the creaky wooden steps to my (crappy) apartment, not once turning back.

The inside of the apartment building had me thoroughly surprised, as it was very organized and cozy- looking with a lime green couch, a small oriental rug, a rusted lamp, a kitchen, a bedroom, a refrigerator, and a bed inside the bedroom. Hm, it appeared this was a prime example to never judge a book by its cover.

I let out a small sigh as I thought of the house in the… real world. It was much nicer than this crappy apartment, and it covered more than just the basic essentials. Also, I missed my family! Why did this have to happen to me? What did I do wrong to deserve this?

I shook my head profusely to drive away these depressing thoughts. Self- pity would get me nowhere. I had already had a proper mourning, so I didn't need to have another. Yes, I missed my family, but they were gone now. This wasn't a Disney movie; no amount of wishing would bring them back. I needed to focus on surviving.

Suddenly my eyes widened as a crazy idea entered my head. What if… what if I died? Would that bring me back to my original world? … No, if I killed myself and nothing happened, I would just plain… die. Plus, my mother always said that suicide was the cowards' way out, and I'm not a coward.

Sighing miserably, I walked over to the lime green couch and plopped into it lazily. If I was going to plan my next course of action, I'd like to be comfortable while doing so. Now… what SHOULD I do next?

My jade eye twitched slightly in agitation, for this was going nowhere fast. As I said before, I needed to focus on surviving, so I should focus on how I'm going to get the four basic needs: shelter, food, water, and clothing. I already had shelter down, now what about food?

I stood up abruptly from my comfortable couch and hobbled over to the refrigerator. Once I reached my destination, I grasped the cold metal handle of the fridge and yanked the door open to reveal a few cans of vegetables and some bottles of water. Satisfied with my search, I closed the door carelessly back over to the comfy, lime green chair and plopping down on it, mentally scratching off food and water from my list of basic needs. I had enough to last me about a week or two, depending upon how I ration it.

Last but not least, clothes. I tilted my head downwards slightly, angling it so I could see the bottom part of my body easily. My simple and slightly ripped up orange shirt and midnight black pajama were what I was currently wearing. I highly doubted that this was acceptable to wear all day every day for the rest of my life, so it seemed I would have to buy new clothes from the store.

Groaning in protest at the thought of getting up again from the comfortable couch, a thought suddenly hit me like a punch in the face, making me feel ridiculously stupid. I needed money to buy clothes, which I had none of. I would need to find a job of some sort to earn enough money to buy a sufficient amount of food, let alone clothes! However, what could I possibly do that would pay well and would be something I could handle? Anything that required exceptional athletic ability was out of the question, as I knew very well from past experiences that I had little to no talent in that area- that was more of my brother's thing.

When I was finished with this train of thought, my face broke out into a bright smile. I knew what I could do. Jumping up off the couch, I dashed towards the door and yanked it open before locking it securely, excited at the prospect of my (hopefully!) new job.

* * *

It took me a few minutes of running throughout the busy village of Konoha, but I managed to successfully find the building, but once I did, I released a grin that was a mile wide. The 'building', in reality, was a small stand covered with a mixture of bright red and white with about a dozen comfortable crimson red stools that stood side by side in a long line across from a long wooden table. Behind the table was a kindly looking man with a head of grey hair and bright eyes washing some piece of metal- most likely a cup. Next to the stand stood a small sign that read in fancy writing: 'Ichiraku's Ramen Shop'.

I attempted to calm myself by taking a few deep breathes, but failed miserably, unable to tame my excitement. I was standing right in front of the place where my favorite character, Naruto, ate nearly everyday! I giddily walked toward the old man- Teuchi, was it?- and greeted kindly, "Hello!"

I believe that Teuchi was so engrossed in his cleaning that I startled him, for he jumped slightly and snapped his eyes toward me before letting out a warm grin that made my heart clench slightly due to it reminding me of my grandmother's smile.

"Why, hello, young one. Would you like something to eat?" the man asked, his eyes closed slightly in a 'n' shape.

"Oh, um... thank you, sir, but no thank you. I was wondering if you needed any workers here. If so, I'd love to work here!" I said nervously, beginning to wring my hands which were hidden from sight behind my back together.

The old man's smile turned apologetic and he said, "Sorry, Miss, but I'm not accepting any help at the moment. I don't need any workers besides me and my daughter, but thank you for offering."

My happiness evaporated as if it were a small puddle on a hot summer day at this sentence. "Oh... really? Are you sure?" I said, my voice laced with desperation.

Teuchi frowned at me and gruffly said, "Yes. Now, would you like to order something, Miss, or are you just going to stand there? I'm sorry, but I don't have all day."

My jade green eyes averted to the ground in defeat. Oh well, so much for that idea. "No, sir. Sorry." I said mechanically, my voice slightly sad as I turned around and ran into the darkness of the night before he could say anything else, my eyes misty all the while.

* * *

I continued running randomly through the village for several seconds before stopping, my eyes filled with tears which I determinedly swiped away from my face, letting out a watery grin in order to cheer myself up. There were plenty of other jobs in Konohagakure, I just had to look! I obstinately took a step forward, refusing to give into my overwhelming sense of self pity, lifting my chin up slightly.

Hours passed and the town continued to grow darker until the visibility reached where I could no longer see a feet in front of me. I sadly decided to end my job hunt for the day, as I knew that 99% of the stores were closed by now, and the 1% that were open being bars and clubs. Sighing, I dejectedly walked back to my apartment, before noticing a rusted sign that read 'Help Wanted'. When I saw this, my jade green eyes widened and then a grin slowly crept upon my face as I jauntily walked toward the tiny shop, opening the bright blue wooden door slowly, peering inside.

Little did I know that what I found inside would be the beginning of the end.


	6. Chapter 5: My New Boss: Crazy Old Fossil

Chapter 5: My New Boss: The Crazy Old Fossil

* * *

***Please note, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form and merely own the OC's used in this story.**

* * *

Looking back, opening the door to that little colorful shop was probably THE best decision I ever made coming to the Naruto world, as it was the instigator of several events that changed my life and helped me become the person I am today.

"Hello?" I called out tentatively, glancing at my surroundings carefully throughout the tiny little shop.

The shop, I estimated, was one floor and that floor had two main room which was lined up with a small, wooden counter, shelves upon shelves containing a vast quanity (and variety) of toys, a rack of some of the most beautiful outfits I've ever seen, a sewing machine located toward the back of the shop, and several couches and chairs arranged in a circle in front of the counter.

"Wait just a minute for Kami's sake! I'm coming!" a gruff, masculine voice called out in what I assumed to be irritation, causing me to stiffen slightly. Crud, I thought to myself in despair, is my boss going to be some grouchy old fossil?

The thought of working for 'some grouchy old fossil', brought memories back to me from my original world, as I used to have a part time job at a shop as a cashier when I was younger because I needed the money to buy some tickets to a - totally awesome- movie. I recall my boss complaining about the weather, griping about how 'children these days should' or 'back in my day' something or other crap, docking my pay because I made one TEENSY mistake in calculating the exact amount of change a customer recieved, and generally being an overall jerk.

I did not look back at those days with fondness of any sort, so of course I was wary working for another guy that even remotely resembled the man. Shuddering slightly, my eyes narrowed in determination. Jerk or not, I desperately needed the money, so I would endure whatever he threw at me. In fact, at this point, I would probably grovel at a random person's feet if it meant getting enough money to survive.

After many moments of being left to my thoughts, a small man with silver hair and fierce black eyes emerged from behind a long, violet tarp scowling. "What do you want?" the man seemed to growl like a dog, causing me to gulp and mentally cry out in despair.

"W- well, sir, um... I happened to see a help wanted sign at the front of the store and wanted to know if I could possibly work here please? I really need the money and-," I said politely before being interjected by a now- grinning man whose eyes appeared to SPARKLE, causing me to back away slightly. What the heck...?

"OF COURSE YOU CAN!" the man yelled happily, moving forward and pulling me into a giant bear- hug, sobbing into my (admittedly, flat) chest, causing me to blush slightly and my jade green eye to twitch. How dare this pervert-!

"Do you have any idead how long I've been waiting and praying for someone to help me work in this god- forsaken place? DO YOU?" he giggled psychotically, causing me to begin to shake slightly in terror, my anger abruptly forgotten.

"N- no, sir...," I whimpered pathetically, before saying, "Please don't kill me!" Hey, don't take me for a coward! He was terrifying, ok? Honestly, how would YOU react?!

"Kill you? Why would I do that?" the man asked, genuinely confused before his grin turned feral and he yelled, "You set me free! FREEDOM, HERE I COME! Oh, yeah, by the way, you're first official assignment is to grab a uniform from the rack over there. I'll be back in three hours. Your next task is to do the paperwork in the back. Anyways, HASTA LA VISTA, SUCKER!"

Before I could question the man's sanity, he released me from the hug and dashed like a madman out the door, waving his arms in the air, me starting after him. What could possibly be so horrible to cause the man to act like that? Was it the paperwork?

Curiously, I began to walk slowly toward the tarp, lifting it over my head before gaping at what lay behind there, my jaw dropped in shock, for lying there were thousands- no, MILLIONS- of stacks of paperwork that towered to the ceiling among a scattered assortment of bottles of sake and alchohol.

From these pieces of evidence I managed to deduce that the guy was probably an alchoholic driven to insanity by the amount of paperwork that had to be done. He was probably depressed as well, or just a raving psychopath. Whatever the deal was, it appeared I was now a worker at whatever this shop was- although I believed it to be a toy/ clothes shop.

... Wait a minute, I now worked at a toy and/or clothes shop!

"BOO YAH!" I screamed cheerfully, grinning as radiantly as the sun.

... That was when I remembered just who my boss would be.

I then proceeded to curse up a storm, saying things my mother would probably ground me eternally for, scowling all the while.

* * *

Three excruciating hours had passed of doing the paperwork, which was actually quite easy to do, surprisingly, but was enough for me to begin to understand why the man had acted the way he had. This was pure torture! Plus, I was getting very tired. What time was it, anyway...?

Oh well, I had completed my first task, which was putting on the uniform. To my surprise, the uniform was actually very comfortable, and was a combination of my two favorite colors: silver and green. You see, the the shirt was a small silver blouse with a pair of jeans and a forest green apron. There were no shoes, however, so I had to walk barefoot across the hard, wooden floor.

I glanced up from the paperwork suddenly, hearing something approach. I walked out from the violet tarp just in time to see the door to the shop burst open and my (possibly clinically insane) boss calmly walked into the store, smiling serenely. This caused me to pause in fright. Why was he acting so... normal? Was that earlier interaction just a result of stress and alchohol?

"Oh, you look simply DASHING in that suit, Miss...?" the man chirped happily, grinning toothily, causing me to grin slightly in discomfort. He was so... cheery...

"Tomoko... thanks...," I mumbled, smiling slightly. At least he seemed nice. "Um... sir, may I please leave now, if that's ok...? I need to get home to... um... feed my dog," I said lamely, hoping he wouldn't see through my pitiful lie.

"Why, of course, girl- friend~! See you tomorrow bright and early at eight o' clock~!" the man sang in pure euphoria, winking at me.

...Screw it! He's not nice; he's borderline creepy! I thought to myself, shivering slightly before running out the door silently thinking: Dear God, what have I gotten myself into?!

* * *

When I finally arrived to my apartment, hastily unlocking the door, I grinned tiredly to myself and plopped onto the nearest comfy surface I could find (a.k.a: the couch), not bothering to change out of my uniform before falling into a deep sleep. My last thoughts before entering the world of unconsiousness: sweet, sweet, salvation.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! This is my first author's note for this story, and I was just wanting to know what you all thought of this story. Was it good? Bad? Please tell me, ok? Questions and comments will be answered happily in the next chapter. Thank you so much for reading this story so far; I hope you enjoyed this chapter. ^-^**


	7. Chapter 6: Believe It, Dattebayo!

Chapter 6: Believe It, Dattebayo!

* * *

***Please note, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form and merely own the OC's used in this story.**

* * *

I groaned as I awoke from my comfortable couch, squinting my jade green eyes to adjust to the darkness surrounding me. "What time is it?" I mumbled tiredly, reluctantly getting up off the lime green couch to peek out the door and see if there were any clues to what time it was outside.

I finally succeeded after several minutes of fumbling for the doorknob in the darkness, grinning triumphantly as I successfully opened the door. Before I could comprehend it, bright rays of light beamed through the door, illuminating my small apartment, causing me to hiss at the sudden brightness. "Too bright!" I growled, quickly shutting the door. The light abruptly seized to stream in, causing me to sigh in relief.

Suddenly, a pang of loneliness hit me, for Mom usually woke me up. Shaking my head to clear myself of that depressing thought, I hurriedly strode toward the fridge to get out some yogurt (or, at least it looked like yogurt...) and opened it with ease. I dabbed a big piece of the yogurt onto my finger and licked it. I then proceeded to promptly spit it out

"WHAT THE HECK?!" I screamed, "THERE IS _NO_ WAY IN (BLEEP) THAT'S YOGURT!"

Wiping my mouth furiously as I spat out the contents of... whatever that THING was, I shivered in horror before cautiously picking it up, looking at the bottom of it where the expiration date was supposed to be located. I nearly choked at what I saw. The yogurt was expired by two freaking YEARS!

Great, if the yogurt was any indication, most- if not all- my food was expired. Sighing, I threw the yogurt in the nearest trashcan and dashed out the front door, thinking of how in the world I would pay for a decent meal that wasn't expired

* * *

When I finally arrived at the shop where I would begin my new job, I grinned triumphantly, basking in the warm weather of the village. I scanned my surroundings, seeing nothing out of the ordinary except that the 'Help Wanted' sign was no longer there. I felt a sense of pride at that, grinning before opening the wooden door cautiously, not really wanting to but knowing that I had to see the crazy old fossil SOMETIME.

The shop looked the same as the first time I saw it, except their was a beaming old man at the cash register, causing my jade green eye to twitch before It took a deep, calming breath. "Good morning, sir," I stated politely.

"Good morning, Tomo- chan! How are you on this lovely morning?" the man greeted cheerily, grinning from ear to ear as he walked over to me and then pat my head. I smiled slightly at this. Maybe he wasn't crazy after all, just... over- excited and a little too cheerful? Ignoring the 'girlfriend' comment from last night, that is... Oh God, that sounded so wrong now that I think about it!

"I'm doing fine, sir, I just... erm... my dog peed on my bed?" I said, my statement more of a question than anything else. I crossed my fingers behind my back hastily at the lie, biting my lip nervously. Here's to hoping he falls for it!

The man nodded sagely, his mouth curled in distaste. "Oh, yes, I TOTALLY understand. My cat pees on my bed all the time," he said, his eyes filled with sympathy. This made my gut twist in shame for lying to him, but I immediately squashed the feeling down ruthlessly. This was essential to my survival!

"Anyways," the man coughed, his frown (which looked odd on his face) crinkled into a cheery smile, before saying as he walked behind the sturdy tarp, "Today you'll be working at the cash register, Tomo- chan! Good luck- NOW GET TO WORK!"

The old man barked out the last part so suddenly in such a booming voice that it sounded as if God himself was conversing with me, causing me to yelp and scurry toward the cash register as fast as possible to comply with my new boss's command. Suddenly, what he just said made me groan mentally. I HATED Math- and not only did I hate it, I was downright awful at it.

Sighing (I had been doing that a lot lately, I mentally noted), I clenched my fist in determination. Well, I suppose I would just have to work hard to get promoted from a lousy cashier worker to an actual toy/clothes maker. Honestly, I was a little- ok, a LOT- excited at that prospect. Looking at the toys and clothes the crazy old fossil created, I could tell he was superb at his trade, and that his skills in the art of sewing far surpassed mine. I absolutely HAD to ask him later to teach me how to make that stuff, even though I wasn't really fond of my boss at all... Oh well... I guess I would just have to deal with it.

Who knows, maybe I'd even like math at the end of this experience ... Nah!

* * *

Several hours passed as I stood motionlessly behind the orange counter before someone actually arrived. Once they did, however, I hastily put on what I call my 'game face'. It was showtime!

I observed the customer thoroughly as- they?- walked through the door, before nearly fainting in fright. The customer was male, quite tall, had a body practically made of muscle, bloodshot brown eyes, and possessed many scars that littered his face signifying that he had been in many battles. He was one of those guys that looked like a cross between a weight- lifter and a thug.

NOT a good combination, at ALL.

"U- Um... hello, sir. Is there anything I can get you?" I ventured timidly, smiling hesitantly at the man. Hey, don't think of me as a coward or anything! Honestly, how would YOU react?! Tell me you would willingly try to tick the guy off, and I'll chug down a whole gallon of stale milk! WITHOUT stopping!

The guy was silent for many moments before glancing at me, no doubt sizing me up."I want to buy a pink unicorn toy," the man finally deadpanned, his face the very epitome of seriousness.

If I wasn't so afraid the macho man would kill me, I honestly would have laughed at that ridiculous declaration.

"O- Of course, sir," I managed to choke out, grinning like a maniac as as I tried my best to stifle my bouts of laughter outwardly, while inwardly I was guffawing as hard as a clap of thunder.

The guy nodded once before I got out from behind the counter, stretching my legs that were stiff from standing still for so long, searching for a... p- pink unicorn...! BWAHAHAHAHA!

I chuckled silently once I was far enough away from the guy to be out of ear- shot (unless he was a ninja or something). After three seconds of it, I abruptly stopped with a bit of difficulty. I had a job to do, after all, and I couldn't afford to be fired just because I couldn't control myself from not laughing at the first customer of the day.

After several minutes of searching the tall shelves filled with a variety of colorful toys for a pink unicorn, I was finally successful. Right smack dab in between a purple puppy and a periwinkle pig sat a pink unicorn who's mismatched button eyes seemed to stare straight into my soul. Great, I thought to myself, a stuffed animal that seemed like it could have come out of a horror movie and a scary looking man. They're perfect for each other. Giggling, I grabbed the pink unicorn located on the second shelf, and walked toward the counter, and gave him the pink unicorn toy.

"That will be 1000 ryo, please," I told him in my most professional voice, smiling politely.

The man's chestnut brown eyes softened and he nodded in consent. "Thank you. My daughter's birthday is today, and she said that all she wanted for her birthday was a pretty pink unicorn," he said softly, a small smile playing on his face as he handed me the exact amount of money. This confession made a wave of guilt crash into my heart, like a tsunami, almost.

I had judged the man by his appearance, one of the greatest mistakes a person can make. Not only that, just because he had ordered a pink unicorn I immediately assumed that it was for him. It didn't even cross my mind that it might have been a gift to his daughter. There was a saying back in my old world about that: "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Hadn't I learned that from my house's appearance? Apparently not, as I had not only just been jumping to conclusions, but was being just a superficial jerk as well.

That was a hard thought to swallow. I mean, no one likes to admit their faults, but... man, now that I looked back on it, I was being downright AWFUL!

"Thank you, sir, please come again," I said softly, smiling a polite smile that in no way gave away my depressing thought process.

"Oh, I will," the man said as he turned away abruptly, and walked out the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

* * *

As the hours slowly dragged by into the afternoon, only about five other customers came into the store ordering clothes or toys, none of them leaving the same impact on me as my first customer (whom I now dub Macho Man) did. After the fifth customer walked out the creaky front door, the old man came out from behind the majestic lavender tarp, lifting it over his head.

"Tomo- chan, you may take a one hour break. However, after that one hour is over, you need to come back, understand?" the old man said in a serious tone, something that didn't seem to belong to him. I listened intently, silently promising to follow my boss's orders; I had never heard him so serious before.

"Yes, sir," I replied politely, causing the crazy old fossil to release a goofy grin. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding as the tension that had settled in the room rapidly disappeared.

"Jolly good, then!" my boss said cheerily, walking over to me and patting me on the head. I blushed in embarrassment before clearing my throat. Time to ask him to teach me how to make clothes and toys!

"Sir," I started out politely, giving the man my best 'puppy dog look' as I continued on with my plea valiantly, "Would you please teach me how to make clothes and toys? I already know a little bit, but I would really like to learn more!"

At my request, the man narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing me closely, no doubt trying to gauge if I was worthy or not. I let out a tiny gulp and wrung my hands behind my back. Silence reigned for many moments until the old man finally said, smiling a smile filled with foreboding, "If I did teach you, Tomo- chan, you wouldn't use your powers for evil, would you?"

This ridiculous question made me release a relieved sigh, feeling the tension from my shoulders disappear entirely within the span of a couple of seconds. Was that all? How the heck could you use your 'sewing powers' for evil, anyway? "Of course not," I said in mock- seriousness.

The reply I gave seemed to appease the old man, for his smile was no longer foreboding, but bright. "Alright. Fate has decided. After work, I' shall teach you a bit about the glorious art of sewing, young grasshopper," my boss said happily, his eyes beginning to sparkle. I slowly backed away from the crazy man, while nodding in a way that you would to that of a person who belonged in an Insane Asylum, and hurriedly walked out the door, not once looking back as I headed of in a random direction for my (wonderful, spectacular, great, awesome, glorious, and stupendous) break.

* * *

The day was as glorious as Konohagakure itself, the temperature was average, the sun was shining brightly in the azure sky, and there was not many people walking around in the village (Much to my surprise. Maybe it had to do with the fact that they didn't get afternoon breaks?) As I walked down the hard, dirt roads of the village, I examined my surroundings. A multitude of coniferous trees that varied in height could be seen from time to time, and there were TONS of outdoor shops, vendors, houses, and clan compounds. And don't even get me started on the sheer amount of merchandise that the shop owners tried to persuade me and the rest of the other civilians to buy!

Suddenly, I abruptly stopped in front of a large snow- white building that had a wired fence located around it, as if to defend the place from outsiders, and a small sign that had the words 'Konohagakure's Ninja Academy' inscribed in fancy midnight black writing. Intrigued, I steadily trudged toward the metal door of the academy, and attempted to push on it.

... I failed miserably in this endeavor.

Not willing to admit defeat, I grabbed a long stick that lied on the rough and dirty ground and stuck it into the simple lock, imitating the lock picking technique I had seen people in cartoons use.

... As you can imagine, with me having not ever picked a lock in my entire life, I failed again.

Frustrated, I decided to take a deep, calming breath and assessed my situation. I wanted to get inside the academy, but the metal door wouldn't let me. Why? Pondering over this question for a few moments, I analyzed the metal door. Suddenly, an idea hit me like a train, making me feel like a dunderhead. What if I needed to pull it instead of push it?

So, with that thought in mind, I grasped the icy- cold, iron doorknob and slowly turned it before pulling on it.

... And it worked, much to both my chagrin and delight.

So, with the door now opened, I happily walked through it, grinning triumphantly at my success. I scanned my surroundings for a couple of seconds, noticing a medium- sized pine tree and a large multitude of children in the distance. This sight stroked my natural sense of curiosity, so I changed my destination to the place where the children were, and walked toward that instead.

Suddenly, I saw a sight that nearly broke my heart. For as I drew closer upon the school's large courtyard, I saw a small, young boy with beautiful blonde hair that was the color of sunshine and pleasantly tan skin and wore bright orange clothes located underneath the shade of the medium sized pine tree, swinging desolately on a tiny dark blue swing, staring at the other kids. Or, at least that's what I assumed since he had his back facing me. My breath caught it my throat, and it seemed as if the area had risen a few degrees in temperature. Only ONE person would ever willingly wear a bright orange jumpsuit... There was no doubt about it, I was in the presence of Konohagakure's unpredictable, hyperactive, knucklehead: Naruto Uzumaki.

That's when the fact that I was in another world- the NARUTO world- finally hit me. I was IN the Naruto world- my favorite anime, for Pete's sake! I knew what would happen; I could change things for the better and meet my favorite characters while at it!

Honestly, I knew I couldn't blame myself for not thinking of that sooner, as the reason why I hadn't thought of this before was because I was focusing on surviving. Frivolities such as meeting new people and changing things for the better are second priority in comparison to surviving, regardless of how selfish that sounds, so, naturally, I hadn't been paying attention to that stuff. But NOW... I grinned maniacally at the thought, thinking of all the possibilities. However, before I could even began to take a step toward Naruto, a dark train of thought stopped me in my tracks.

_(Good luck with that, Miss. Sunshine. Don't try too hard to make a fool out of yourself, now, dearie. Honestly, you're not God, who are YOU to change things for 'the better'? You're just a scrawny, anti- social, anime- obsessed, teenage girl, for crying out loud! What could someone like you POSSIBLY do to help?) _a more cynical (and admittedly, logical) part of me snarked.

_( You're right...)_ I thought in slight disappointment, my happy mood drastically turning for the worst. However, a thought suddenly popped into my head, and I acted on it, remembering a powerful lesson I had learned a long time ago in a little children book, renewing my hopes. (... _But__ what kind of person would I be if I just left Naruto all alone? He doesn't deserve the kind of treatment he gets. I know I may be scrawny, and anti-social, and anime-obsessed, and just be a teenager, but I also know that even the smallest and most insignificant of things can make a big difference.)_

The voice was quieted by my reply, causing me to smile in triumphant.

So, disregarding some of the stares I got from the other children who were entering the Academy, I happily pranced up to the lonely little boy who was staring at the other kids with sky blue orbs filled with sadness and envy while sitting on the dark blue swing, and merrily tapped him on the shoulder. The little boy turned around swiftly, his face filled with surprise as I released my brightest and most kindest smile...

"Lady, why the heck do you look like your about to eat me?" Naruto stated snidely, glancing at me with eyes that were scrunched up in suspicion.

My smile faltered slightly as he said this, my ego wounded. Did my smile really look that weird?

"Um... Well... I was wondering what a cute little boy...," I said before pausing in the middle of the sentence, mentally slapping myself in the face. Oh, God, that sounded so wrong! The crazy old fossil was rubbing off on me!

"Um... I mean... Well... You see...," I stammered nervously, not really knowing what to say. Hey, I wanted to try and make a good impression on one of my favorite characters!

"Just spit it out already, Lady! And I'm not 'little'!" Naruto blurted out, no doubt frustrated by my stammering and the unintentional insult before covering his mouth with shock and staring at me in fear, as if he was afraid I was going to hit him. This caused my heart to nearly break and strengthened my resolve to befriend the little boy.

"Sorry, um... young one," I apologized, grinning sheepishly at the blonde haired child. "I didn't mean to anger you or anything... it's just that you looked really lonely sitting here all by yourself and stuff... Sooo... I decided to come over here and wondered if you possibly... wanted... to... be friends?"

Hey! Don't make fun of me for being so hesitant, alright? I'm not really good with people... in fact, the only people I ever really felt comfortable around was my family... My mother says it's 'a teenager's natural sense of self- consciousness or something like that. Honestly, I don't really know... Oh well. I guess I'll just have to learn.

I shrugged nonchalantly as I thought this, ignoring the shocked look my reply received from Naruto. Suddenly, much to my surprise, the blonde boy's face screwed up in anger and spat, "I don't need your pity!"

Pity? I hastily reviewed my actions toward the young Jinchuriki, wondering how on earth he could draw that conclusion just from me talking to him. After several seconds of being unsuccessful in coming up with a reasonable answer, I mentally shrugged. Oh well, might as well ask him.

"Pity? What pity?" I asked, my eyebrow raised questioningly, "I just wanted to see if you wished to be my friend. Is something wrong with that? If you don't want to be my friend, then all you have to do is say so."

Naruto looked at a loss for words for a moment, before he turned his head down slightly, making his hair shadow the majority of his face. This action made me feel completely horrified. Crap, did I say something to upset him?!

"... My name's Naruto Uzumaki," the boy admitted softly before I could apologize, lifting his head up and giving me a heartfelt smile, his brilliant blue eyes shining. This action made me smile in turn, my heart overflowing with warmth toward the child. He looked so adorable; I just wanted to glomp him!

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Naru- san. My name's Cry- I... I mean, Tomoko," I said, attempting to cover up my blunder.

I couldn't tell him my real name, even if he was my favorite character... maybe someday, but definitely not today. Telling him could jeopardize my position in the village. What do you suppose would happen if Naruto accidentally told the Hokage he met a girl named Crystal who looked exactly like the person he just met in the watchtower who lied, saying her name was Tomoko? Yeah... not something good, that's for sure. Worst case scenario is that I get killed for lying and being a potential spy... or, even worse, tortured. I shivered involuntarily at the thought.

Appearing not to notice my mistake, Naruto's grin turned more fox- like and he declared loudly, pointing at his chest, which was puffed out in pride, "Well, Tomoko-niichan, something that you should know about me is that I'm gonna be Hokage one day!"

I smiled knowingly at his statement, believing it with all my heart and soul. "I know you will," I agreed before adding my own two cents, "I look forward to that day, because I have a feeling you'll be the greatest Hokage the world has ever seen."

Naruto gaped at me before his eyes beginning to glisten with tears. "You really think that?"

I grinned cheesily and walked toward the boy's dark blue, wooden swing and enveloped him in a bear hug, ignoring the flinch my close contact with the orphan produced.

"Believe it, dattebayo."

* * *

**Author's Note: Thus, the beautiful friendship between the orphan Jinchuriki with a heart of gold and an anti-social, anime- obsessed teenager was born. XD **

**Please, please, please don't hate me for making Naruto and Crystal friends, as I really think the two have good chemistry together. Also, please pardon me, but did you enjoy the- longest- chapter- I've- ever- written- chapter? I really hope you did! Tell me if there's anything unrealistic in the story or anything I need to work on- I want to make this story the best it can possibly be!**

**Every review is precious to me, so pretty please review? *Puppy Dog no Jutsu***


	8. Chapter 7: AWS, AK, AACB

Chapter 8: A Wannabe 'Savior', A Knucklehead, and A Cherry Blossom

* * *

***Please note, I do not own Naruto in any way or form. The only people I own are the OC's used in this story.**

* * *

I smiled happily when I finally arrived back at the shop in which I worked in, thinking back on the promise I made to Naruto less than ten minutes ago after I gave him one of my greatest 'bear hugs'.

* * *

_~Flashback~_

_"But Tomo- chan!" Naruto protested loudly, staring at me with pleading eyes when I announced I would be leaving. I stared at the boy sadly before letting out a small, reassuring smile._

_"I'm sorry, Naru- san, but I really have to go back to work and you need to stay here- education is important! But I promise I'll be back later to pick you up and take you home, ok? And I never go back on promises- ESPECIALLY one I make to my friends!" I said gently, trying to placate the nervous, blonde boy. That sentence I spoke was completely true. Back in my old world, I had- and would- never go back on promises I made to people. Ever. _

_Naruto stared at me for a moment, his brilliant blue eyes filled with suspicion before giving out a tiny nod. "Ok," he said decidedly, but added in a loud voice laced with determination, "But you better come back! If you don't, I'll go find you and drag you back with me! Believe it!"_

_I nodded seriously, staring straight into the boys eyes for several seconds before releasing a small smile at his antics. I suddenly stiffening as I heard his signature catchphrase. Oh boy... did I just influence him to say that? ... Oh well, so what if he added 'believe it' or 'dattebayo' at the end of his sentences? Every hero needed their own cool catchphrase... right?_

_Shaking my head in exasperation not sure whether I was trying to convince myself or not, I ruffled the boy's spiky sunshine blonde hair affectionately and walked away, earning an embarrassed "HEY!" in the process, giggling all the while._

* * *

I completely intended on keeping that promise, no matter what obstacles got in my way, for I knew that if I broke this promise then Naruto would probably never trust anyone ever again. ...And I didn't want to do that to him.

These were the thoughts that I was having as I reluctantly opened the wooden door to the shop, dreading seeing the crazy old fossil again. Once I stepped inside, I glanced around at my new surroundings. Shelves aligned the small shop that were covered in thousands of toys of all kinds, along with racks of beautiful clothing toward the front of the toy shop. At the bright orange counter behind the cash register, I saw the old man smiling kindly at me before saying sweetly, "Why, welcome back, young grasshopper! I missed you! And I think Mr. Cashy did to!"

I shuddered at his tone of voice before tentatively asking, "... Mr. Cashy?"

"The cash register, of course!" the man said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, blinking at me innocently. My boss then asked curiously, "Sooo... where were you, girlfriend?"

My jade green eye twitched at the use of that particular nickname before silently contemplating his question. I knew what he was really asking was what was I doing. Why, I have no clue. So, I decided to politely explain. "I was at the academy. While there, I met a new friend." I refrained from mentioning just who the person was, as I wasn't sure how he felt about Naruto and why I went there. My reasoning? I really didn't want to get fired because I was 'fraternizing' with the enemy- or, something ridiculous like that the crazy old fossil would probably accuse me of. I needed this job!

"Oh, cool!" the old man giggled- and yes, I mean GIGGLED as if he were high on drugs- "Now, Tomoko- chan, it's time for you to work at Mr. Cashy! He's all nice and warm- just for you!"

I shivered involuntarily at the man's sheer creepiness. "Yes, sir," I replied politely before I remembered my promise to Naruto and asked, "Sir? May I please take a one hour break in three hours or so? I have to go somewhere."

"Hm... alright, Tomoko- chan, you can go in three hours. Now- GET BACK TO WORK!" the man boomed loudly, making me scurry to the cash register as quickly as possible to comply with my boss's commands.

As soon as I accomplished my task of getting to the cash register, I quickly reviewed the plans I had for the rest of the day inside my mind.

1) Pick up Naruto from school and take him back to his house- (apartment, idiot)- in three hours after work.

2) Come back to work and learn how to sew better from the crazy old fossil.

3) Collect pay, go home, and then sleep.

I was brought out of my mental planning from the entrance of a tall, female customer with bright fiery red hair and chocolate brown eyes who appeared to be looking around at the merchandise in wonder. I quickly put on the 'game face', and asked politely, "Please pardon me, ma'am, but is there something I can help you with?"

Yep... three more hours of this... Hopefully my sanity would still be intact by then...

* * *

Surprisingly, the three hours passed by rather quickly, much to my delight. As soon as they had passed (I could tell by glancing at the small blood- yes, I'm morbid like that- clock that was located above the wooden door), I mentally cheered and dashed out the wooden door, maneuvering through shelves, wayward toys, and the counter itself. Once outside, I glanced at the sky briefly. Various hues of orange and red could be seen beginning to cover the normally azure blue sky, and the temperature was as cool enough to wear a jacket. I shivered slightly in my silver short- sleeved tee-shirt, comfy jeans, and the dark silver apron that had a cute brown teddy bear head sewn on the cover.

"Well, it's time to go," I murmured to myself softly, slowly walking in the direction of the academy, passing by several other civilians. Occasionally, I accidentally bumped into people and then immediately apologized, but I continued to walk to my destination happily, smiling. When I reached the familiar metal gate, I hurriedly opened it and walked inside. Several meters away I saw the front of the school building, and grinned. Yes! I made it!

As I walked toward the cobblestone steps, I suddenly heard a rather high pitch scream. My jade green eyes widened slightly. What the heck was that? My curiosity stirred, in a split second decision I decided to go check out whatever it was. I abruptly turned around and walked in the direction of the sound. Several seconds passed, my shoulders tense with anticipation, flight or fight instincts kicking in. Finally, I arrived at a small playground complete with slides, monkey bars, and a ton of other stuff along with a group of children herding around something. Yep-

...Wait, what? What were the children herding around?

Intrigued, I moved to take a step forward, only to be stopped cold by a chilling voice of one of the kids.

"You're such a freak. I mean, really, who in the world would like someone with such a big forehead?" one of the children said meanly, sneering.

"Yeah, and that really ugly pink hair!" another quipped, grinning sadistically, as if he was enjoying himself immensely.

"And don't forget the pudgy hands!" one sang, glaring at whoever the poor soul was with malice in his eyes.

I stepped forward tentatively to get a better look on the scene, an inferno of fury beginning to bubble inside me. What I saw next was awful and caused me to snap, for in the middle of the crowd of children I saw a small, pink haired child with bangs wearing over sized dark blue clothes covered in cuts, the other children grabbing her hair, and one drawing his fist back in front of her face, as if he was going to punch her. Deja- vu, much?

Seeing a little, defenseless child like that- being ganged up against a bunch of bullies- was one of the things I hated most in my old world. And it seemed that that hatred didn't diminish in the slightest transporting to this world, either.

"BASTARDS! GET THE _HELL_ AWAY FROM HER!" I roared like a lion, my vision fading to blood red. What happened next was a blur to me, and I felt a sense of deja vu. I barely remember giving some of the blasted brats a bloody nose from punches, bruises, and I believe I may have broken a couple of bones, but I truly don't know. The children all ran away like a bunch of cowardly rats after I began to attack, leaving me alone with a frightened little girl. I slowly calmed down, breathing heavily as I looked at the girl, the hatred and anger draining away from my face, being replaced with worry and kindness.

"It's alright now," I said softly before continuing in a slightly worried tone of voice, "The bas- I mean, jerks- are gone. Are you ok?"

The girl's emerald green eyes widened and she nodded shyly, shirking away from me, making me frown. Did I do something wrong? ... Was it because I attacked the bullies? Wait... why did she look so familiar? Suddenly my eyes widened as I recognized the little girl and the scene we were in, making me mentally swear. I had just saved THE Sakura Haruno from the pack of bullies when Ino was supposed to have comforted her. Crap. How could I NOT notice earlier?! The girl had PINK hair for Pete's sake!

However, despite my inner turmoil at the moment, I continued to plaster a concerned facade (not that the concern was fake- quite the contrary, in fact. I WAS worried about her) onto my face and released a small smile. "That's good; I'm glad you're ok. I'm really sorry if I scared you, little miss, but it's just that I got a little angry when I saw you being bullied like that," I said in my most kindest voice, sheepishly smiling.

"I- It's ok," the girl assured me softly, averting her pretty emerald green eyes to the ground, wringing her hands in front of her, sniffling.

My eyes softened and I felt my heart melt at this. Oh, screw the storyline! Right now, Sakura needed some tender love & care!

"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying, little miss?" I inquired gently, crouching down beside the pink- haired girl.

Sakura mumbled something under her breath that was unintelligible, making my face contort in confusion.

"Come again, please?"

At my request, the young girl whispered a little louder, saying, "They're right... I'm ugly."

My eyes narrowed into furious slit and scowled at that sentence before I enveloped the girl in a bear hug. Surprised, Sakura tensed slightly before relaxing, giving me a confused look. I answered her silent question.

"That's not true," I whispered fiercely, hugging Sakura tighter before continuing, "You're a beautiful young girl. And even if you WERE ugly, your appearance doesn't matter; you're personality does. THEY'RE the ugly ones in that aspect. You could be the most gorgeous person on earth but be ugly on the inside and vice versa."

I could tell Sakura was stunned by the way she tensed up. "R- Really?" she asked softly, her voice colored in disbelief. "W- What about m- my big f- forehead?"

"That just means you have a big brain. Therefor, you're a genius. They're just a bunch of jerks who are jealous of your intelligence and kindness," I said confidently, grinning- not that she could see it. As soon as I was finished with my sentence, the girl returned the hug with such fierceness that my jade green eyes widened in surprise, but I immediately adapted and hugged her in return. She began to sob with what I assumed to be either relief or happiness, making me smile.

We stayed in that position for a long time before I reluctantly let go of her, and introduced myself, managing to not stutter once or squeal like my inner fangirl wanted me to. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss. My name's C- I mean, Tomoko, what's your name?"

Sakura smiled reluctantly and shyly said, "Haruno... Haruno S- Sakura."

I grinned at my success before I said, "Sakura? That's a very pretty name for such a sweet girl."

Sakura blushed at my compliment, nearly making me squeal like a fangirl- I had just met another one of my favorite characters and made her smile! I barely repressed the urge, but managed to somehow. When I did, I felt a large amount of pride at my accomplishment before remembering my promise to Naruto. "Crap!" I muttered before glancing at Sakura apologetically, and standing up, brushing the dirt of my pants. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go pick someone up, Sakura- chan. It was a pleasure to meet you!" I turned around slowly, and moved to take a step forward before being stopped by a command.

"Wait!" Sakura pleaded without stuttering in the loudest voice I ever heard her in. Slightly surprised, I turned around curiously, cocking my head to the side.

"Yes?" I asked kindly, encouraging the little girl to continue.

She hesitated for a moment before her eyes lit up with a fiery determination I had only seen in a few people in animes do, before stuttering softly, "M- May... may y- you please b- be my f- friend?"

I could feel my eyes softening and my heart melting like goo on a sweltering summer day at this question and let out a small smile. "Of course," I said happily, mentally cheering, "Why don't I take you home on the way to where I'm going? I'm picking someone else up who's in the academy; he's really nice, but can be a bit loud. What do you say?"

The small, pink- haired girl appeared to perk up a little bit at this suggestion, releasing a bright (but slightly shy) smile. "Y- yes, please, Tomoko san."

"Great. Let's go then, shall we?" I said gently, grinning as I held out my hand for the tiny girl to take. She looked at me with eyes filled with trust and took my outstretched hand shyly before the two of us walked side by side, hand in hand. After several moments, Sakura glanced at me with her doe- like eyes; the epitome of innocence.

"What's a bastard, Tomoko- san?"

I paled several shades of white and nearly choked on my own spit at the question, cursing Fate for putting me in this horrid situation.

* * *

I was the first to see Naruto swinging desolately on the dark blue swing beneath the mid- sized tree. Sakura squinted and glanced at me curiously before pointing at the blonde- haired boy. "I- Is that who y- you're taking home? M- my mommy said he was a- a bad boy and I should s- stay away from him," the girl said softly, her voice wavering slightly. I knew that she was beginning to regret her decision to follow me, but I stood firm. If she believed that, then so be it. I didn't want to surround myself with people who blindly followed what people told them and dissed my friends- regardless of whether they were cute, sweet, and among my favorite characters.

"Fine," I said coldly, my eyes as frosty as ice, releasing my hand which was clasped together with Sakura's, no doubt startling her with my attitude change. "So be it. I thought you trusted me- what kind of friendship is based on distrust? ... Honestly, I also thought you were different from all the other stupid people who hate that boy based on something he can't control. I guess I was wrong. Wouldn't be the first time." I muttered bitterly, turning away from the tiny girl and continued walking in the direction of Naruto, feeling a deep pit of regret swell inside me, but shrugged it away. This was for both our own goods.

"P- please don't go! Wait!" Sakura pleaded, beginning to sniffle as she ran toward me and latched onto me. "I- I'm sorry! Please d- don't be angry at m- me! Y- you're... you're t- the first real f- friend I ever h- had... please don't leave me...!"

I felt my gut wrench in disgust for myself at what I had just done. I just reduced a little girl to nearly crying! What kind of sick person was I?! She was just listening to her mother; it's not like she had some personal vendetta against him for no reason! What the heck was wrong with me?!

"Sh... I'm sorry, Sakura- chan I didn't mean to be a jerk to you... please don't cry, ok? It's just that Naruto's one of my greatest friends and... and I really don't like it when people insult him like that... so please don't do that again, alright?" I explained gently, allowing the girl to hug me tightly, refusing to let go. Seconds passed until she nodded in agreement and released my leg, her eyes puffy and cherry red. Guilt clawed at my stomach. I plastered a fake smile on my face, disguising the guilt inside me. "Let's go, Sakura- chan, it's time to meet Naruto!" I said cheerily, walking toward Naruto again, Sakura following me from behind like a little puppy.

After several seconds of walking on the soft, lush grass (I knew because my feet were bare), the two of us finally reached our destination. "Naruto! I'm sorry I took so long, but I'm here! I brought a friend along as well!" I said kindly, smiling broadly as the boy whirled around in complete shock, rendering him speechless for a moment. The boy's face then contorted into one filled with relief, but instead of showing it, he yelled at me in slight anger, "OY! YOU'RE LATE, TOMO- CHAN!"

The sheer volume of Naruto's voice startled Sakura, making her scurry behind me in order to hide. I gave Naruto a stern glare and pat the pink- haired girl on the shoulder comfortingly. "Naru- san, please don't yell so loudly when Sakura- chan is around, ok? She's really shy. As to why I'm late," cue evil smirk, "I just got lost on the road of life."

Silence reigned from both children for several minutes before Naruto spluttered, "L- liar!" I inwardly cackled at this reaction. No wonder Kakashi liked making up dumb excuses that were half- true so much! After I was done with my bout of mental cackling, I grinned at his faux anger (I was able to see that he was just happy that I had arrived at all) and ruffled his spiky sunshine blonde hair affectionately, causing the boy to pout before saying in a kind tone of voice. "Naru- san, this is Sakura- chan. She's a new friend of mine, and I wanted her to meet you."

Naruto's disposition immediately changed to that of suspicion, tensing his shoulders slightly and glancing at the girl appraisingly. Sakura shuffled from behind me in discomfort, making my heart nearly break. "Naru- san, please don't worry; Sakura- chan won't glare at you or be mean. She's a really sweet girl and I had a little discussion with her to make sure of that. So, why don't you tell her about yourself?" I said softly, smiling encouragingly at Naruto, sensing the tension between the two and attempting to break the ice.

Naruto glanced at me in surprise at me when I mentioned the glaring, doubtlessly wondering how I knew that before releasing a reluctant (but foxy) grin and said to Sakura, "Well... ok, Tomo- chan, if you say so! My name's Uzumaki Naruto and one day I'm gonna be Hokage! Believe it!"

Sakura stared at Naruto from her position behind me in disbelief, before shaking her head. "I- It's a pleasure t- to meet you... My name i- is Haruno S- Sakura," she said softly, clutching the fabric of my pants for comfort before smiling shyly at Naruto.

Naruto grinned wider at Sakura's words and brightly stated, his eyes practically sparkling, "Yeah! You to!"

Sakura blushed tomato- red at that sentence and averted her pretty emerald green eyes to the ground, coming out from behind me. I grinned at this obvious improement before saying happily, "Ok, you two, it's time for me to take you home. Please lead the way. Sakura, you first since you're a lady."

Naruto loudly protested the decision while grinning in a goofy fashion, Sakura giggled at the silly scene before her, and I merely grinned like the Cheshire cat. Yep, this is the life.

* * *

After several minutes of walking alongside Naruto and Sakura, with the young pink- haired girl leading the way timidly, we finally reached her house. It was quite homely looking with a pretty garden outside the front porch and a dark pink paint job. I hesitantly knocked on the wooden door, and seconds later a lady with bright pink hair, emerald green eyes, fair skin, and wearing fashionable garments appeared at the door. It was undeniable that this was Sakura's mother; the two looked to much alike to not be.

"Hm? Please pardon me, but who are you, Miss?" Sakura's mother asked me curiously, staring at me in slight distaste as she examined my crumpled and slightly dirty garments that I had been wearing for the last couple of days before she glared at Naruto, who averted his azure blue eyes to the ground. I couldn't blame her for looking at me like that. A person who looked like a hobo escorting your beloved daughter home in the middle of the night with the village outcast to boot? Yeah... not a good scene, I'm sure. Regardless, the way she looked at Naruto was unforgivable. Sakura's mom or not, this woman was going down.

So, in retaliation, I released my meanest and most scariest glare right back at the lady, before politely saying in a cool, clipped tone, "Well, I was just bringing my new friend, Sakura- chan, home from school along with my other wonderful friend, Naru- san. Is there a problem with that?"

My challenge did not go unheard from the mother, who transferred her glare of doom from Naruto to me, but I firmly stood my ground. I absolutely REFUSED to lose to this woman. If I did, there was no doubt in my mind that I would never see Sakura again- or, at least as long as this old crone lived. She would probably tell the poor, innocent girl horrible things about me due to my association with Naruto, whom she deemed a 'demon'. Just the thought of it made me sick. Along with that, I had to prove to this woman that I would be a suitable protector and guardian if I wanted to keep Sakura's friendship, no matter how much this idea displeased me. Oh well, I would just have to deal with it. Beggars can't be choosers, after all.

"Why, yes, I do have a problem with that! A random stranger is bringing my daughter home along with the de-," Sakura's mom- no, the pink haired BANSHEE- whined annoyingly (well, she actually said it indignantly with a tinge of worry, but I was angry at the moment. Could you honestly blame me for misinterpreting her words? This story is in MY point of view, after all), before I interjected her.

"Miss, I apologize, but you are being unnecessarily rude to both me and my friend for no reason whatsoever. Are you fully aware what we could have done to her instead of bringing your daughter home safely? A demon would have killed your daughter as soon as she was found or joined in the act of bullying that she had to undertake from a group of children. You call an innocent boy free of committing crimes a demon, but praise children who bully your own daughter?" I asked venomously, my jade green eyes narrowed into daggers.

The woman was offended by my sentence, but I could see her giving it some serious thought. However, the pride of humans far surpasses their intelligence at times, so she snapped at me and took a threatening step forward, "Why you impudent little brat!"

I grinned nonchalantly, secretly hurt by the comment but not wanting to admit defeat just yet, said, pointing at myself with my thumbs, "That's me in a nutshell. But at least I see the difference between the jailer and the prisoner, unlike you."

The woman was stunned by comment, no doubt surprised by my comment as no one in my generation was supposed to know about it before snarling like a rabid dog and reached forward to grab her daughter's arm roughly. "Sakura, time to go to bed. These... THINGS are a bad influence on you! Stay away from them, do you understand me?"

Sakura looked torn between agreeing with me, her first friend- the person who saved her from the bullies- or her own mother, the woman who raised her and taught her everything she knows today. Well... almost everything. I decided to make the choice easier for her to make by saying gently, "Sakura, it's ok. Please go ahead with your mother, if you want. I promise I won't be angry at you." Disappointed, yes. Angry? No. "However, if you don't want to, then don't. It's ok to make your own decisions. This is YOUR life, after all, and you should live it how you want to, not how your parents want."

Sakura's mom, Naruto, and Sakura herself looked at me with wide eyes, making me blush tomato red. After several minutes of silence, Sakura finally made her decision.

The girl slowly walked toward her mother and said softly, staring her mother straight in the eye, "M- mommy... I'm sorry... but p- please don't b- ban me from s- seeing them... they're my f- first friends and plus they s- saved me from b- bullies."

The woman's emerald green eyes softened and she let out a defeated sigh. "Fine," she said softly before giving me and Naruto a stern glare, "But you better not make me regret my decision, understand?"

I nodded, feeling the urge to grin triumphantly, but managed to repress it. Naruto, however, being as tactless as ever, grinned a wide grin and opened his mouth to whoop loudly. This made me smile slightly before turning toward the woman and nodding. "Yes ma'am. I promise to take care of your daughter and be a responsible friend."

Sakura's mom nodded reluctantly, her eyes still filled with slight suspicion. However, the sight of Sakura's beaming grin, I could tell, alleviated most of the doubt. "Alright, Sakura, time for bed. Also, tomorrow I have to buy some groceries and Sakura's father has to go to work, so... as much as I hate to say it, you will babysit her, Miss...?"

"Tomoko, Miss," I responded formally, smiling softly at the old crone despite the fact that I really strongly disliked her guts. Man, I was getting to be a really good liar, wasn't I? "And I would be honored to take your daughter to babysit your daughter."

Sakura's mother nodded, seemingly pleased, and the pink- haired duo quietly walked back inside their house, Sakura glancing back at me and Naruto one last time, before they shut the door loudly, leaving me along with the blonde haired Jinchuriki.

"So, Naru- san, where exactly is your house?" I asked politely to my little friend, glancing at him. Naruto perked up at my question and let out a foxy grin before pointing in what I assumed to be the direction his house- (apartment, I mentally corrected myself)- was located. "It's over here!" he said cheerfully, dashing off to his place, making my eyes widen. I then groaned as I realized I would have to run quickly. Oh well.

I ran as fast as I possibly could, but no matter how hard I tried I was always behind the boy. Frowning, I examined the surroundings as I continued to run, panting all the while. This place looked strangely similar to the bad side of town... My eyes widened as my mind fit all the puzzle pieces together. Naruto lived HERE? Alone?!

Suddenly, as we passed by several houses, we finally arrived at the apartment complexes. Once we did, Naruto screeched to a halt, making me stop in turn. I noticed my own ugly, rundown house/apartment/whatever-you-wanted-to-call-it, and my eyes widened as a memory suddenly ran through my mind.

I vaguely remember the nice ANBU Lizard- san saying when I first arrived in the town to be wary because a demon lived right across from me. Could he possibly have meant Naruto? ... Yes, of course he did, I thought bitterly. WHY THAT SLIMY LITTLE-! Grr! Why, the next time I see him, I would kick his scrawny-

"Are you ok, Tomo- chan? You look like you're about to kill something," Naruto interrupted me from my dark thoughts of payback for dissing one of my friends, making me smile nervously.

"No, Naru- san, it just seems that we're neighbors!" I said in excitement, my nervous smile turning into a genuine grin. It appeared the grin that I had released was contagious, for within the time frame of a couple seconds, Naruto released one as well. Except this one was as radiant as the sun and looked so... right on his face.

"Really?!" he asked, his voice laced with excitement and his sky blue eyes twinkling. I laughed.

"Yeah, who would've thought?" I rhetorically stated before ruffling his head in affection, smiling softly, "But you know what?" cue the little boy's interest peaking making him lean forward, "I'm happy that I live next to someone as awesome as you, Naruto."

Naruto's azure blue eyes widened as big as saucers and his eyes began to get slightly misty. The boy dashed forward to me and glomped me tightly, causing me to fall to the hard ground on my butt in surprise. "Me to, Tomo- chan," he said, smiling brightly at my praise.

I smiled and hugged the boy retaliation.

* * *

After taking the two back home, I reluctantly left the blonde- haired orphan, promising to come back by his house after work to cook for him when he told me he was living alone (he protested, but I stood firm in my insistence). I had to get back to work, after all, plus the crazy old fossil promised to teach me how to make toys and clothes today.

Alongside this action was another one. I was planning on asking for my pay in advance as well so that I could buy myself some food and treat both Sakura and Naruto to Ichiraku's Ramen Shop tomorrow after Naruto went to school (correction- after I took Naruto to school and then picked him up along with babysitting Sakura. Then, I would show them the place I work... I just hope the crazy old fossil wouldn't try anything funny).

Anyways, I went back to the shop with a great amount reluctance, putting on my 'game face'.

Hopefully that will not turn out too bad, but until them, work time!

When I walked in, the my crazy boss was standing at the cash register, smiling in a creepy fashion. "Um... Sir? I'm back," I said nervously, wringing my hands behind my back.

The old man whirled around to face me, his eyes shining and a wide (and creepy) smile on his face. "Tomo- chan! Welcome back!"

I smiled hesitantly, inwardly feeling a little warm at the welcome. It wasn't a bad feeling... it was actually kind of nice. Kinda like... like being around my family... My mind jolted at that before I shook my head. What the heck was I thinking? Suddenly, before I could further investigate the reason behind the thought, the crazy old man said cheerily, "Well, I suppose it's time for me to teach you how to sew clothes and toys. After all, I did promise!"

I nodded eagerly, my eyes brightening at this before I cleared my throat. "Sir," I stated in my most professional voice, "I would like to receive my pay in advance, please."

The man cocked his head curiously at my request, obviously interested. And being the nosy old man he is, asked, "Oh? What brought on this sudden request, Tomo- chan?" Suddenly, he snapped his fingers in realization, before beginning to giggle pervertedly, much to my discomfort. "I know! You have a secret lover! You naughty girl, you!"

I blushed as red as a fire truck at the mere suggestion. Where the HECK did he get that idea from?! "N- No, sir!" I stammered furiously, shaking my head side to side, "I just need my salary to buy some groceries, supplies, and tomorrow I'm going out to eat with some friends during my break!"

The man looked slightly disappointed at my revelation and sighed before grinning mischievously. "Oh, I see how it is! You're in denial! How cute~!" he squealed, looking at me with shining eyes, making my eye twitch in aggravation. All I wanted was the money! Not to be teased about my love life (or lack of one) by my boss!

"Sir, please pardon me, but would you please just give me the money already?" I asked patiently, restraining my embarrassment and slight irritation.

"Oh, fine! Kids these days; impatient and can't take a joke!" the man muttered, grabbing something that looked like a dark purple leather pouch from his pant's pocket, making it jingle slightly. I perked up at this sound. No doubt about it; that was my pay. Smiling happily, I greedily snatched the little leather pouch from my boss's hands and hurriedly opened the small pouch. Opening it slowly, I found several little coins that read 'Ryo' on them, each one displaying a number on it proudly- probably the amount it was worth. "Thank you," I whispered softly, making the old man grin.

"No problem," he said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "Anywho~ Now it's time to teach you to sew!"

I reluctantly released a smile and walked toward the man, and even though I wouldn't ever admit it aloud, I was excited to learn the art of sewing.

* * *

An hour of teaching passed, and it turns out the crazy old fossil was a good- if somewhat creepy- teacher. He also turned out to be more of a do- it- than- listen person, I discovered, as he instructed me to make some dolls to assess my skills (the old man said clothes were a bit more difficult to make, although I personally thought they were easier to do). The crazy old fossil then proceeded to inform me of all my faults, and made me work on them. I was nearly finished with the dolls, one of whom had emerald green button eyes, cherry pink hair that was on the short side, and some over-sized clothes- a spitting image of Sakura- and another doll which closely resembled a frog- one of Naruto's favorite animals later on in the series. I had decided that I would give one to each of the children later as a special surprise. I was extra careful when handling them, and snapped at the old man when he treated them roughly earlier today.

At the minute, however, I was walking out of a supermarket with a bit of groceries- food, to be exact; at least enough to last for a few weeks depending on how I ration it. However, I secretly planned that I would be cooking Naruto's meals from now on, as I vaguely remembered a scene from the anime where he was drinking expired milk for breakfast- he was a growing boy and needed his nutrients, for Pete's sake! Plus, I swear, he was as scrawny as a twig!

Suddenly, before I could think further, a memory wizzed past my brain, making me nearly vomit with home- sickness, for I vividly remembered that just a few days ago- Kami, was it only a couple of days?- my mother uttering the exact same phrase. I shivered and tried to shake my head clear of the memory, but it stubbornly clung to my mind, much to my annoyance. Sighing in defeat after several minutes of failure, I resigned myself to just going to Naruto's and cooking with the thought still haunting my brain.

Regardless, I reached the crappy apartment a couple of minutes later and smiled happily as I knocked on the hard wooden door with the bags of food in hand. The young blonde- haired orphan appeared at the doorstep in a flash, flinging the door open, a wide grin on his face. "Tomo- chan!" he yelled in delight, before waving wildly inside. "Well, come in! What's for dinner, dattebayo?"

I laughed at the bright boy's enthusiasm and gently said, "Well, what do you want, Naru-san? I can cook anything you like... as long as it's healthy!"

Naruto groaned at my sharp tone of voice at the end of the sentence, moaning, "Aww, but Tomo-chan!"

Narrowing my eyes sternly, I stated firmly, "No 'Tomo-chaning' me, mister! I'm sorry, but you need to eat healthy food to grow big and strong one day! You don't want to end up short and scrawny, do you?"

Naruto blinked innocently. "Like you, Tomo-chan?" he inquired curiously, making me flush in a mixture of both anger and embarrassment.

I then cut my jade green eyes in mock anger before saying indignantly,"Hey! I'm not short- I'm just fun sized!" Grumbling under my breath at the giggles my reaction received, I then proceeded to walk through the door, placing all the bags on the small table located a couple feet away from the door. I glanced around the apartment, cringing in disgust at what I saw. Trash littered the floor as if they were decorations, some type of light green liquid oozing from the wall, and the room reeking of an... interesting aroma that smelled between a mixture of skunk pee and moldy cheese. I mentally added cleaning to the long list of things I needed help Naruto with. I was suddenly brought out of my thoughts by Naruto's jumps of excitement when he asked, picking out a random food from the bag and asked, "Ooh! What's this?"

I took one glance at the food he brought out and replied kindly, "Oh, that's Kushiyaki, Naru-san. It tastes very good and is quite healthy; I think you'll like it. I also bought some brand new milk- it's chocolate flavored!" All in all, the meal was actually very cheap, much to my surprise, although at first I had no idea what Kushiyaki was. I had to get the vendor to explain, as the only Japanese foods I knew of were dango, ramen, pocky, and onigiri- not the healthiest food in the world- and all that knowledge was obtained from Naruto. Too bad the Japanese didn't have pizza as one of their dishes- I bet Naruto would have absolutely loved it...

"Oh, ok! Let's eat that, then. Also, thanks for the milk, Tomo-chan!" Naruto said brightly, bringing me out of my musings.

My eyes softened at the boy and I let out a small smile. "No problem, Naru-san; it's my pleasure," I stated kindly, taking out the Kushiyaki from the plastic that was holding it inside along with the chocolate milk- both were warm. I placed the pre- cooked food and drink on the table for Naruto and announced, "Well, I suppose I'll clean this place up now. Please go ahead and eat, ok, Naruto?"

Naruto frowned unhappily at my announcement and demanded, "What about you, Tomo-chan? Aren't you going to eat to?"

I nearly smiled at Naruto's worry for my well being, but declined politely. I had already eaten some of the Yakitori after all. "I've already eaten, Naru-san, please don't worry about me, ok? I'm just going to clean up the house a little...," I replied, glancing non- too- subtly at the trash that lay haphazardly on the floor. Naruto let out a suspicious glance, but conceded after several seconds of staring.

"... Ok," he said, before returning to his food and beginning to feast into it. I ruffled his hair as he began to eat, making him pout with meat hanging down from his chin. I chuckled at his expression before setting to work on the room, focusing on winning the battle of cleaning the room. I fearlessly began to dive into the trash, grabbing the bag the Yakitori came in and stuffing it inside the bag. I planned to throw it away when I got to my house, as I had a trashcan there.

After several minutes, Naruto had finished his dinner and came bounding up after me and cocking his head to the side. "D'ya need help, Tomo-chan?" Naruto yawned tiredly, his azure blue eyes beginning to flutter closed. I shook my head, smiling in amusement at the boy wanting to help me despite his obvious weariness.

"No, Naru-san, it's ok; you should go to bed. Tomorrow you have school, after all," I said kindly, gently pushing him into the direction of what I assumed to be his room.

"But I'm not tired!" Naruto whined stubbornly, scowling. My mind raced to find a solution to this problem before I grinned slyly. Bingo.

"Oh well, I suppose you don't want to hear the greatest-and-most-awesome bedtime story ever, then," I sighed over- dramatically, making Naruto glance at me in surprise.

"What greatest-and-most-awesome bedtime story ever? Tell me! Tell me! I want to hear it! Please?" the boy pleaded, giving me the best puppy dog look.

I hurriedly looked away from the puppy dog look to preserve my firmness, and said slyly, "Well, if you want to hear it, then you better get to bed."

Quicker than a flash of lightning, the young Jinchuriki bolted away to his room, making me grin in triumph. Mission success. Now I just had to figure out a bed-time story to tell him. Hm... what could I possibly tell him that he would be interested in? Horrors and mysteries were a big no- no, as horrors would keep him up all night and frighten him while mysteries would be boring to him and he probably wouldn't understand them. Hm... maybe one packed with adventure, humor, and friendship? ...Yeah, that could actually work!

So, with that idea in mind, I happily walked toward the direction of Naruto's small room, and glanced around at the scene before me. I was a bit surprised at how clean this room was in comparison to the other rooms, and saw the bright blue bed, crimson red alarm clock, the wooden nightstand, and the curtainless window. My eyes darkened at the last item in the room. What. The. Heck? Was anyone aware of how DANGEROUS that was- keeping a large window by the bed where you slept in? Robbers could get in, or murderers, or child moleters, or someone who hates the Kyuubi and kill him in his sleep! This was the bad side of town, for Pete's sake!

I scowled darkly at this, and mentally decided that I would guard the little boy's room for the night to make sure no sickos would get in. I was abruptly brought out of my morbid thoughts by none other than Naruto himself, who said, "Come on, Tomo-chan! Tell me the story!"

The anger drained from my face as I took a deep breath to calm myself. After several seconds, I slowly looked at Naruto and gave him a small smile. "Of course," I grinned, before asking, "However, before I tell you, may I please spend the night here if that's ok?"

Naruto looked surprised at my offer, but nodded eagerly. "Heck yeah!" he cheered, beginning to bounce on his rear while on the bed. I merely shook my head at his childishness before walking toward the bed and sitting on it, right by where Naruto lay.

"Alright, now, for the greatest-and-most-awesome-story-ever!" I said blithely, grinning widely as the story I was going to tell pieced together inside my brain. I would tell him a story that would teach him some life lessons- possibly help him find his nindo- and warn him of the coming dangers. Naruto cheered in delight, making me sober slightly. He was counting on me to deliver a good story, and by the name of Indiana Jones, he would get one!

"Now, once upon a time, long ago in a beautiful forest located in a far away land lived a fox, a princess, a snake, and an evil king..."

Hours passed as I continued to wave the tale of Naruto the hyperactive but heroic fox, Sakura the powerful princess that possessed both beauty and kindness, Sasuke the cold and traitorous snake, and the evil king 'Dara, with several interruptions from Naruto along the way such as (Hey, that's my name!), (Sakura- chan? Isn't that the name of our new friend?), (I met a jerk named Sasuke a while back- he was as bit of an jerk as this one is!), and ('Dara sounds like a sick, twisted freak! There's no WAY Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke will lose to him! Believe it!). However, as time went on, the boy slowly sank into a peaceful slumber, a small smile on his face. This made me grin in turn and tuck the boy under the covers of his bed gently before I stood up and stared at the window, getting in my fighting stance so that if anyone was foolish enough to come in, I'd be able to distract the person and give Naruto some time to escape.

Today had truly been a good day- the best since I arrived in this world- and there was no way I'd let some psycho hurt my new friend and the greatest anime character ever and ruin it.

* * *

**Author's Note: FINALLY! This chapter was sooooo long... and yes, Sakura and Tomoko are friends now. Please don't hate me- it just seemed right at the time. Tomoko, the poor girl, is beginning to screw up the timeline beyond recognition. XD There will be consequences to her actions, however, as you will see later on.**

**Anywho~ I really hope you enjoyed this super- long chapter! Please, please review! Oh, and please tell me if I need to work on anything! I really love to hear feedback from you guys!**


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